It was intriguing to read Toronto Star columnist Martin Regg Cohn’s take on the opening of the Ontario provincial election. It was not quite as perceptive as he has been in the past. Frankly most Star readers would have expected a better knowledge of politics.
The give away line in Martin’s column said “Voters tend not to vote against someone, but for something.” That statement would come as a surprise to most politicians. It would shatter Prime Minister Stephen Harper to learn that. Just think of all the money he and his party must have wasted attempting to smear his opponents over the years.
It might surprise you to learn, Martin, there is a definite thrill to going to the polls to make sure someone does not win. Whether it is the candidate in your riding you dislike or the candidate’s party leader, the voting process can be quite visceral. And you can bet that many Ontario voters will go to the polls by June 12 to do their best to ensure someone does not win.
At the same time, Martin, you are quite correct in assuming that the election will not be a referendum on gas plants, eHealth, Ornge Air Ambulance or the Harmonized Sales Tax. These matters might be brought up by a die-hard Conservative voter but this type of thing really serves to erode trust in the entire political body. That is why at this point in the campaign and in listening to people, we are coming to a strong conclusion that most voters want to vote for ‘none of the above.’
Another fact we can pass to Premier Wynne is that the election is not about her. That news can be a disappointment to a politician’s ego but in Kathleen Wynne’s favour it means that she could almost shut up for the rest of the campaign and win, at least a minority government.
That is not true for the Conservative’s Timmy Hudak. It was quite amusing to hear that he thinks he should be running for the premier’s job and not for the leadership of the opposition. If he had not been such a poor opposition leader, he would have a better idea of what it means to be premier. Any voter who is still looking for someone to vote against just needs to be forced to listen to Timmy’s vision for Ontario.
That is not the case with New Democrat Andrea Horwath. There seems to be no reason to expect her to say anything memorable or the media consider worth reporting.
But, Martin, you go ahead with your take on this election. Just do not bet too much on your expectations.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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